AZ governor suspends Dem AG from immigration-law defense

posted at 10:50 am on May 29, 2010 by Ed Morrissey

The Arizona immigration-enforcement bill has created a national debate, but it may pale in comparison to the infighting in Arizona. The Attorney General expected to defend the law is a Democrat expected to run against Governor Jan Brewer in November, and Terry Goddard’s meeting this week with Eric Holder was apparently the final straw for Brewer. She took advantage of a clause in SB1070 and hired outside counsel to represent Arizona in the case and suspended Goddard from it:

Late Friday night as the Memorial Day weekend began, Arizona’s Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, in effect, suspended the state’s Democratic attorney general from defending the new law in upcoming legal challenges. The measure, known as S.B. 1070, is due to take effect this summer and, among other things, allows local police under federal guidelines to check the immigration status of people they stop. (For a full list of background stories, see Related Items below.)

The governor’s abrupt action against Terry Goddard, her likely Democratic opponent in this fall’s gubernatorial election, came after months of disputes between the two and at the end of a long day of legal maneuvering in both Arizona and the nation’s capital.

As the state’s chief lawyer, Goddard would be expected to take the lead in defending Arizona againstchallenges to the Legislature’s action, which erupted after years of state frustration with the federal government’s inability to secure the state border with Mexico against illegal immigrants, drugs and criminals.

However, Goddard has vocally opposed the measure, so much so that the Legislature gave the governor advance authority to hire outside legal counsel.

On Friday, Goddard met with the Obama administration’s Atty. Gen. Eric Holder in Washington, then held a news conference just hours before Brewer’s handpicked attorneys were to meet with Holder, an outspoken critic of the law.

Brewer said, “I believe the federal government should use its legal resources to fight illegal immigration, not the State of Arizona.”

It’s hard to imagine how Goddard thinks he can benefit from opposing the law or aligning himself so closely with Holder, an outspoken critic of the law. Arizonans overwhelmingly support the law, and they’re not likely to be budged by Holder’s scolding. Arizona voters will also wonder why Goddard is spending his time fighting Arizona rather than getting better cooperation from the Obama administration on immigration enforcement and border security.

The legislature also gave Goddard a vote of no confidence in its opt-out for Brewer. That adds to the baggage Goddard will have to carry into his election. On top of that, the longer this stays a national issue, the more Arizonans will dig in their heels — and the longer resentment towards Goddard will continue.

Governor Brewer is a very impressive woman, and politician. Her political maneuverings, based on her ideals, are very adept. While many demagogue her and the Arizona legislature, she has held to her core beliefs and the State of Arizona is better off because of her.

Goddards been a pain here in AZ for a long time. Glad to see this happen. A lot of us in AZ have a libertarian bent and want the fed gov’t to leave us alone. Let the feds secure the border but stay out of our states business.

Wonder if the White House and Justice Department have been taking any advice from Goddard on proceeding with a lawsuit against 1070? The AG might actually believe an outside challenge to the law would help him in November and was urging the feds to go forward, as clueless as that might look to two-thirds or more of the voting public.

Goddard has the potential to be a lying, back stabbing scumbag. He will make a great addition for Eric Holder’s gang of incompetents when the good people of Arizona flush him. Goddard seems to be confused on how to represent the best interests of his constituents because of his inflated ego. If they don’t agree with him, they are just “stupid”. Its a demonrat thing.

The job of the attorney general is to defend the state in lawsuits. If he is co-ordinating with the opposition that is planning to to sue the state to get the law declared unconstitutional he should be impeached.

I am just waiting until the reporters parachute in to AZ to “palinize” Brewer and find out all the schools she went, look under every rock question her last born. And when does SNL do the skit of Brewer to say she can see Mexico from her house.

Jan Brewer makes it even more obvious than it was that if there’s a party for women, it’s the Republican Party. Republican women at the highest levels of governmental power are, almost without exception (I can’t actually think of one, but just in case) gutsier, smarter, nicer, better spoken, and more in tune with America and Americans than their counterparts on the left. Jan Brewer is only the latest example, but Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, Condoleezza Rice, are among the absolute cream of the crop. The Democrats have the likes of Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, and Jennifer Granholm. Thank God that girls and young women today have real role models on the Right for what’s possible for women—and everyone—in America, because they sure as heck can’t find many on the Left.

Good for Arizona! It seems more and more the only Republicans with some backbone are women!

This is so freaking puzzling to me. It has got to be a further sign of just how so many men in the country have become feminized. They are so freaking afraid to take a stand. We need a freaking revolution of manhood in America! I am so serious. It seems the only way a man can prove he’s a real guy is to freaking cry in public or something! Even our military now has got to turn pink to prove it’s good!

I love it, the Republican women are the ones with the stones these days.

Also have to hand to to the legislature in AZ, along with Kris Kobach, for writing that bill clearly, precisely, and accounting for contingincies. When I saw Kobach speak last month, he had mentioned that several other states had contacted him for his help in crafting their own AZ law.

From what my Arizona friends tell me, Goddard is toast as far as getting elected governor. And several of those ‘vocal’ Chief’s of Police and Sheriff’s had better polish their resumes.

Too bad a certain governor in Kaleefornia didn’t have the guts to ban a certain Attorney General from ‘defending’ a state ballot proposition. An AG ‘doing the people’s will’, and now running for governor again. Seems he didn’t mess the state up enough the first time.

While the public is hating just about everything and everybody, the smart Republicans will do the hard unpopular stuff to get back on track. I wish we could put some more permanent laws into place to slow the pendulum effect but the Left just ignores laws anyway, i.e. border enforcement and pay-go.

Jan Brewer totally has my vote in the Primary as well as the general election in November. She is definitely not afraid to make executive decisions regardless of the backlash, in contrast to our finger-pointer-in-chief…Napolitano was a good politician, and I think the anti-Morman sentiment ultimately helped her get elected over Salmon in 2002 (she won in a landslide in 2006). Brewer actually wasn’t elected, but appointed after Napolitano left to join Obama’s cabinet. Arizona is kind of odd in that its biggest city, Phoenix, generally votes conservatively, (the majority of the state house and senate are republican)

Don’t let this immigration debate fool you. Our state is bankrupt and instead of cutting the fat in the state government, she pushed and pushed for a sales tax and income tax increase on us recently, complete with demagoguery about losing school teachers, law enforcement, and fire services if we didn’t pass it. We’re not all entirely happy with her.

I read an interesting SciFi novel several years ago involving pacifying men through genetic engineering. The long and short of it was that it worked and peace on earth reigned. The twist was the epilog which had an alien land and warn that a warrior culture would reach the solar system in 100 years and the Earth would be toast if they couldn’t muster a defense.
The book reminds of the current GOP male culture. A brute force microscope would only find one pair (Christi) among them.

Goddard scores an own goal and seems to be doubling down on stupid. At this point Brewer should bench him for simple incompetence. Is Goddard from Harvard or something?

AnonymousDrivel on May 29, 2010 at 11:40 AM

Goddard is long time Democrat hack who’s daddy was Sam Goddard, a one-term Governor down here in the 70’s. Terry was mayor of Phoenix for awhile and ran for governor with the strong backing of the public service unions, Phoenix Fire in particular, losing to Fife Symington. This fool has been slobbering to be Governor for decades. I doubt he’ll ever be.

Well the maxists have awoken the sleeping gaint of liberty and freedom. i hope we all do not go back to sleep.
unseen on May 29, 2010 at 1:37 PM

…Ever. That’s the hardest thing about freedom: Fascism is not a headcold that runs its course and then is over; incremental collectivism is a cancer that never stops growing.

This is only the second time in American history when actual TAXPAYERS have revolted against their putative masters. The other side have absolutely no problem parking their asses on the streets forever; we can’t afford to do that.

We have to kill the idea of an imperial government in America, and then we have to once again salt the ground where it grew so it doesn’t stick its ugly head up again for at least another 200 years.

Goddard has always been a dumb POS, but he’s sealed his political fate in AZ with this stupid move.

As for Napolitano, she was a former U.S. Attorney in AZ who ran as a law-and-order candidate (Arizonans like law and order). Like many left-wing Dims, she pretended to be a moderate during the campaign and much of her first term.

Thanks for updating Brewer’s picture by the way. Historically, Goddard has enjoyed a good reputation and was a former popular mayor of Phx. I would consider his AG tenure as rather nondescript. The county sheriff and attornrey have much higher prtofiles here. He may have difficulty winning governor now, he might have waited too long to make his run.

What I think is essential is for AZ to replace some of the FIVE democrat reps we currently have. Way too many for such a conservative state to have.

Azcoyote is spot on. Napolitano was an empty suit both as AG and governor, aside from all-day kindergarten and renaming a mountain I’m hard pressed to recall any accomplishments. I think Goddard’s plan was to follow behind her and slip into her seat. Circumstances have intervened, however.

She spent a year fighting the legislature to get Prop 100 placed on the ballot. She then used the Democrat’s budget plan to get the the voters to vote for it, by putting an education budget that would cut 50% of the teachers (but not the administrators or support staff) and cut law enforcement’s budget by 40%.

She then told the voters that if they didn’t pass the tax increase there would be over crowding of classrooms (like 50 students per a teacher), what do you think the voters did? They panicked and voted her a 18% tax increase.

Our State Treasurer stated that the tax increase would not help our financial situation, because Brewer was not allowing the needed cuts, like the cuts to pension benefits that Janet Napolitano increased when the Democrats controlled the legislature.

So in 2 days we get our 18% tax increase, slowed economic growth in a state that is suffering hugely, and still a budget shortfall that won’t help.

We literally have a higher sales tax rate than California, how is Brewer a Conservative? She reminds me of a Bush Republican that dislikes illegals.

Don’t get me wrong, I support 1070, but I don’t support her. She is using 1070 to get re-elected, because she can’t win with her fiscal policy.

If you idolize her, you either aren’t from AZ or you aren’t a Conservative (or Libertarian).

Here is the Goldwater’s answers to Brewer’s misleading and lying. Would you want another typical lying politician, we already have Obama.

14,440 jobs lost due to Brewer. Well, at least she has a long way to go before she’s cost our state as many jobs as Obama.

Governor Jan Brewer recently told a group of business leaders in Mesa there are no other choices left. “The checkbook is overdrawn, we’ve maxed out the credit cards, we’ve mortgaged the house,” the governor said according to a March 29 report from the Associated Press.

But lawmakers did not eliminate $100,000 in spending for awards to racehorse breeders, a $6,097 subsidy for a museum devoted to the history of beads, or the other $2 billion in spending changes that have been suggested by the Goldwater Institute. So policymakers simply are not telling the whole story when they say they eliminated all waste in government before asking voters to raise taxes.

The 30-second video highlights nearly $10 million in wasteful spending, but was never intended to be a comprehensive list of government waste. However, in 2009 and again in 2010, the Goldwater Institute did provide a comprehensive list of spending reductions and policy changes that could be undertaken to balance the state budget before any tax increases were considered.

Pretty damning of the person who everyone here is idolizing. All of the other GoP candidates would have signed 1070, but they wouldn’t have given us an 18% tax increase and slowed economic growth. Sad the masses will vote for her, because of this good she did at the cost of the masses.

The UN will not get too involved. Fox or someone should travel south, pick a country, and ask the residents how they would feel about millions of illegal visitors from _______ (inject a brodering nation — usually south of the situs) running around their nation. I know what the opinions would be.

If you ask, Guatemalian folks refer to the giant to the north and mean Mexico. The Mexicans treat them like trash if they show up without docs. If you talk to non-Mexicans about our problem, their only shock is that the whole country hasn’t moved to Phoenix.

The O-machine thought they’d cover up the Sestak story with the “plugging of the hole”, and “god’s visit to the region” and etc….by releasing it on a Friday before a long weekend…

Instead what’s in the news, unabated:

1. Hole not plugged – video more itense than ever
2. Sestak story more intrigueing than before
3. Obama missing from Arlington – this will be even more intensified on Monday
4. Obama visit to region looked like a walk on a nice Hawaii beach…and is already forgotten

Images are very powerful. The fool not knowing why MMS’s stupid head was fired was telling for the ‘competent’ teenager.

The cleaned up beach was a big mistake. He looks in the video like finding a nice shell on the beach, rather than tar balls.

Then he goes to Chicago right after…it’s not going to be pretty.

Best of all, his rebuffing of the AZ Governor lady will hurt him the most. She has all the power over him, in any way one looks at it. She is not thin skinned, like him, and she is competent and can speak incredibly fluently, sans teleprompter. She will clean him out, in many ways.